Port Elizabeth Landmarks and Monuments

(Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa)



Main Public Library photoFirst settled at the beginning of the 19th century, Port Elizabeth has a number of distinctive landmarks and monuments.

Many of these can be found both in and around the city's Market Square.


The landmarks of Port Elizabeth include a number of particularly historic buildings and help to tell the city's story, offering an insight into days gone by.


Picture of Queen Victoria statue at the Main Public Library

Main Public Library

Address: Market Square, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, ZA
Built over a hundred years ago, Port Elizabeth's library is a distinctive building in the city. The library was built using a mix of public and private funds and is reputed to be the first steel-framed building in the city. Many of the materials used in its construction were shipped over from England. The library is still in use today. Outside its front door is a marble statue of Queen Victoria.
Open hours: daily
Admission: free

Campanile (Bell Tower) photo

The Campanile

Address: Strand Street, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, ZA
Tel: +27 041 506 3293
This 52-metre / 170-foot high bell tower was built in the 1920s to honour Port Elizabeth's early settlers. The climb up the tower's 200 steps is well worth the effort.

There is an observation room at the top of the Campanile, offering great views over the whole city. If possible, it is well worth timing your visit to coincide with the thrice-daily peel of bells.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday - 09:00 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 14:00
Admission: donations suggested

Prester John Memorial image

Prester John Memorial

Address: Fleming Square, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, ZA
Adjacent to the City Hall is a memorial to that most mythical of king-priests, Prester John, and the Portuguese settlers of the city. The monument takes the form of a large cross, with figures depicting Prester John himself and a Portuguese navigator.
Open hours: daily
Admission: free

City Hall image

City Hall

Address: Market Square, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, ZA
Port Elizabeth's City Hall really is a splendid building, designed in the colonial style. Topped by a clock tower, which was added 20-odd years after the original building work, the City Hall is a popular landmark in the city. As well as serving Port Elizabeth's local government, it is also used as a concert and lecture hall.
Open hours: daily
Admission: charge for special events

Fort Frederick picture

Fort Frederick

Address: Belmont Terrace, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, ZA
Take a trip to Fort Frederick and you will be rewarded with a great sense of the history of the city as well as some rather magnificent views. Not much is left of the Fort's structure, which dates from the close of the 18th century and was named after the Duke of York, who was Commander of the British Empire at that time. Built to protect the harbour from French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars, not a single shot was fired in anger from its walls.
Open hours: daily
Admission: charge

Horse Memorial photograph

Horse Memorial

Address: Corner of Russell and Cape Road, Cape Road, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, ZA
This is perhaps Port Elizabeth's most famous piece of sculpture. The Horse Memorial is dedicated to all the horses killed during the South African War, which raged at the end of the 19th century.
Open hours: daily
Admission: free